Grimes

                                                     Visions

                                                     8.5/10

                                                 iPod Worthy

Somehow Grimes’ single, “Vanessa” from her split 2011 EP made it passed my filter. It wasn’t until late last month that I heard the killer song and if I heard it earlier, it would have easily made my favorite tracks of the year. After poking around, however, “Vanessa” was pretty much the only song I really dug from the British Columbia musician, (aka Claire Boucher), so at first I wasn’t expecting too much for her upcoming release. Then came the two releases from her third album, Visions. Both “Geneis” and “Oblivion” are instantly ear-grabbing, commanding and fresh. And so is Visions from start to finish.

“Genesis” starts off with a Western-World sounding synth line, then Boucher’s mousey voice pops in and you’re whisked away by the thin drumming. When you get to the hook where she chants “everything, everything, everything” you’re just like damn. Then the dark “Oblivion” rolls in right after. Dusty drumming, reverbed vocals provide an echoey backstage for Grimes to squeak lyrics like “it’s hard to understand because when you’re by yourself it’s hard to understand” and “girl, you gotta watch your health.” And that wobbling synth never lets up. Both tracks are equally sexy, strange, entertaining and compelling. The trippy, sampled and dizzy tracks “Eight” and “Circumambient” are nice transitions into the rest of the album, proving to be the glue to Visions. 

“Vowels = space and time” is on another level. It’s the most danceable song on the LP and Grimes’ inspirations of big-vocal singers (Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston etc) really shines through as she belts it out as best as her timid voice can. The track is endearing but confident and all around simply wonderful. “Be a Body” is another instant jam with its stadium-sounding synths and tumbling drums. Grimes’ once again takes her best shot at singing like the Greats but her failed attempt is so cute, you can’t help but become enamored with the song. About halfway through, we get smacked with this sharp synth and more reverbed vocals and the song takes off.

“Symphonia IX (my wait is u)” is a darker cut with laired vocals and dazzling, dripping synths. Following in the same path is “Nightmusic (feat. Majical Cloudz),” which opens up with samples of violins twisting and turning but then a booming synth and loud drums burst through the operatic dramatics. Again, there are more laired vocals but Grimes is able to keep every track fresh and sounding different and fun, like with the use of bazar backwards vocals. “Skin” is the most direct and clear song on the record and it is a beauty.

Visions could be much better than it already is. The thing that upsets me the most is the production or, the lack there of. Grimes has mentioned that the LP was created all on the pedestrian software, Garageband — and you can tell. Everything used on the album, from vocals, drums, synths could all be massively improved and carried out with better execution. At times, things sound brittle when you want them to sound powerful and mind-blowing. Nevertheless, Grimes does prove she can turn out a great product on the free Apple program.

At its core, Visions is a pure pop album. Its made by a carefree 20-something who tweets that she still lives with her parents, has stomach problems and just wants to make it. She is an ambitious musician and shows that she is a talented artist with her third (although it feels like her first) LP. All of Grimes’ cute and quirky traits pop through in her lyrics, sound and voice. The album is flat out fun and not really meant to explored as deeply as I just have. Although there haven’t been too many releases this yet, Visions has been the most enjoyable album of 2012. 

Listen to the stellar track “Vowels = space and time” below:

                                                      Chairlift 

                                                     Something

                                                       7.5/10

Remember Chairlift? You must if you’ve watched TV in 2008 when the dream pop Brooklyn (now) duo made the ultimate crossover to the mainstream with their song “Bruises” from their 2009 debut, Does It Inspire You? Thanks to an iPod commercial, Chairlift received some pretty big exposure. But that was nearly 4 years ago and the band has finally returned with their decent sophomore LP titled Something. 

Although there isn’t anything terrible on Something it doesn’t push any boundaries either. At times, I feel like I’ve heard some of these tracks dozens of times from dozens of other artists. The duo do, however, manage to pull out some pretty fantastic tracks, which makes Something somewhat of a mixed bag. The record starts off very strong with the jittery and psychedelic opening track “Sidewalk Safari,” where lead singer Caroline Polachek’s voice’s shows off its range over stringy guitar riffs and booming synths. “Wrong Opinion” is another nice song that has flashes of brilliant moments — the cool way they layer vocals and the icy sound effects that sound like bandmate Patrick Wimberly is playing the xylophone on a string of icicles.

Things really pick up with the third song (and the best on the record) “I Belong In Your Arms.” New Wave drums beat on around Polachek’s whispery voice as she sings “I belong in your arms/ Feeling so good/ Nothing to say/ Just want your head on your shoulder,” she sexily coos. Another fantastic song follows right after. “Take It Out On Me” is somewhat of a slow jam that has an instant catchy and emotional hook where Polachek’s voice becomes deeper and more confident as she chants, “Forget forgiveness, forget all the rules/ Just lease don’t do it here/ Bring on the fire because business is cruel.”

The rest of Something quickly unravels as the batch of songs quickly bleed into each other. Reverb is heavy and there aren’t many different things happening to keep the tracks sounding distant. Some songs do have bright pings that could be developed into further ideas, such as “Cool As a Fire” and “Met Before.” The closing track also is interesting at times but it fails to carry through the entire way and lags during the verses.

It is clear Polachek is a talented and confident singer. She knows how to change her voice so it suits each song magnificently. The biggest problem with Something is its lack of innovation, memorable melodies and that is is far too long. The band manages to pull of a handfull of great songs, like “I Belong in Your Arms” but the second half of the LP we find the duo struggling to keep that fire lit. If Chairlift cut down the record and removed some of the fluff (“Turning,” “Frigid Spring,” “Ghost Tonight”) then Something would have really been something.     

Listen to the standout track “I Belong In Your Arms” below:

                                                   Cloud Nothings 

                                                 Attack On Memory 

                                                         8.4/10

                                                      iPod Worthy 

Ohio native Dylan Baldi’s lo-fi project Cloud Nothings made a huge splash on the internets in 2010 with the songs “Hey Cool Kid” and “Didn’t You.” Both tracks had constructed pop melodies with distorted, dusty vocals and guitar riffs. On his latest full-length Baldi chucks those friendly arrangements and replaces them with harder sounds and clear but forceful vocals. While this dramatic change can be off-putting for some, it is hard to deny that the new raw sound is effective pure (indie) rock.

Baldi pretty much sticks to guitars, bass and drums on Attack. There are no fancy synths or zany blips and bloops — the sounds here are straightforward and executed to a tee. The Nirvana inspired opening track “No Future/No Past” has Baldi singing around a delicate piano riff, swirling guitars, a deep base and crashing drums, while working on an intense build up. Baldi’s vocals are strained and when the awesome track reaches its climax the singer lets loose and screams, “No future, no past.” “Wasted Days” is another highlight and is an uptempo punk song where Baldi sings about his underwhelming life.

“Fall In” is the most “poppy” track on the LP but it does’t excuse Baldi’s harsh new vocal style. Another fantastic track is “Stay Useless” that has the catchy hook, “I need time to stop moving/ I need time to stay useless,” and crashing drums and tight guitar playing. The Liars sounding “Our Plans” and the instrumental rock-gasim “Separation” both standouts. “Cut You” doesn’t really sound like a closer but it still holds its own falling in line with the brilliance of the record.

If nothing else, Attack On Memory is a solid, edgy indie rock album with exquisit sounding guitars. If you were a fan of Cloud Nothings before this album you may be shocked at the unexpected change in direction, however, if you’re open minded enough or you just like this kind of noisy sound then I can’t image you not loving this LP. If this is your first time with the band, then I would expect nothing but a positive listening experience.  

Listen to “Stay Useless” and “No Future/No Past” below:

Hey everyone,

For 2012 I’d like to do attempt at some new things. Although with a new full-time job my free time (and time to tend to this blog) has been severely cut, I’d still like to add things and maybe change some stuff up a bit. I’d also like to turn things over to anyone that reads RateThatAlbum and ask what would like to see out here and from me.

So, I’m willing to take suggestions for reviews. Is there an album you want reviewed that I didn’t cover? Just shoot me a message. Or if there’s a record coming out that you want covered, again, send me a message.

I’ve debated doing track reviews but I think that can be kind of redundant but if it is something you guys want or enjoy reading I’d consider it (perhaps doing in a Twitter 140 character or less format).

Additionally, I’d like to do some more features/think pieces so if there is anything you find interesting or see some band rising and want to hear my opinion about it let me know. 

If there is anything else you’d like to see from me and this blog, don’t hesitate to inform me! Thanks for your input and reading!

Best,

RTA

                                             Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

                                           Tsukema Tsukeru EP

                                                     8.8/10

                                                 iPod Worthy 

I usually don’t review small EPs with just three or four tracks but I’ll make an exception for J-pop super star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and her latest EP Tsukema Tsukeru. Last month, the high-energy singer dropped a music video for the self-titled single. It wasn’t as powerful or explosively cute as the breakthrough “PONPONPON” but it still held its own and I enjoyed it a whole lot. 

The b-side to the single titled “Kyary Anan” is on par with the stuff found on Pamyu’s 2011’s mini album Moshi Moshi Harajuku (which was recently placed as my 9th favorite album of the year). It is an infectious cut with metallic drumming and Pamyu chanting her name over and over. Things are taken to the next level with an unexpected but killer dark-“surfer” guitar solo.

Then there is the “Cherry Bon Bon (Extended Mix).” The original track was found on the mini album and was one of the best things there, so it’s a pleasure to have it on this EP as it is something I’ll never get sick of hearing. Unfortunately, the “extended mix” doesn’t really do much to elevate or change the song up. In fact, it pretty much just sounds like the original version save for some more synths at the epic begging and some added drums and cowbells. This could have been a pretty epic remix (ie: “PONPONPON (Extended Mix)”) but the track feels slapped together and just something extra to add on to the EP to make it fuller. Nevertheless, as I said, “Cherry Bon Bon” is fantastic so I don’t really mind hearing it again here.

Hopefully this EP means that KPP is working on something new and will release another mini album or a full-length in 2012. With the help of her genius producer Yasutaka Nakata (Perfume, Capsule) I can only imagine it being another incredible pleasure and a collection of outstanding tunes.

Listen to the EP’s standout “Kyary Anan” below:

                                                     The Big Pink

                                                     Future This

                                                        7.3/10

I was totally in love with the Big Pink’s 2009 debut album A Brief History of Love and put it as my third favorite album of that year. The record was full of emotional hooks and devastating lyrics that was easily accessible. Although the sounds weren’t innovating the UK band managed to create songs that were perfectly executed and made the standard indie rock track sound fresh. But on their second LP, Future This, the hooks are flimsy and things aren’t as easy to digest.

Unlike the depraving History, Future This is an album full of empowerment. Most songs have some kind of uplifting message to them like the two highlights and singles “Hit the Ground (Superman)” and “Stay Gold.” “1313” has lead singer Robbie Furze singing “Well love will stop at noting/ I’ve been waking just to sleep again.” ”Jump Music” is an intense cut that carries a typical Big Pink hook and the infectious “Rubbernecking” is one of the only songs the echoes History’s sentiments but still is able to fit in the context of the album. The record’s closer, “77” is another strong point. It’s a slower song where Furze sings about a lost love that he needs to forget about; “7 to 7 ways to say no,” he moans on the track’s chorus. 

The biggest problem with Future This is that a number of the other tracks end up all sounding alike. It becomes hard to distinguish the lame hooks from one song to the next. The worst of the bunch is the album’s title track as it goes no where and falls victim to the indie rock faceless abyss. Many of the tracks start the same as well, with about 30 seconds of electro/synth build up and maybe some distorted guitars and then Furze singing about either getting over an ex or wanting to die of a broken heart.

Future This easily falls victim to the sophomore slump. Big Pink prove their a great band with their debut but their followup fails to achieve the same elements that made History so successful. There are only tiny flashes of brilliance here (“Stay Gold,” “Hit the Ground (Superman)” “77”) and nothing really comes close to songs like “Dominos,” “Velvet” and a “Brief History of Love.” The Big Pink did have a big mountain to move but they hardly move it an inch and the result is a mediocre album with a few worth-wild cuts. 

Watch the music video for “Stay Gold” below:

says the tumblr user whose name is xoweekndxo and literally every post is Tesfaye or Drake related goodnight. 

                                                       Symmetry 

                                          Themes for an Imaginary Film 

                                                          8.0/10

                                                       iPod Worthy

Man. Now this is a thing. Thirty-six tracks by Chromatics’ and Glass Candy’s Johnny Jewel, who also had a hand in helping creating the soundtrack for the awesome movie, Drive. Initially, Jewel composed the entire soundtrack to Drive but producers nixed it. So, you would assume that Themes for an Imaginary Film, by Jewel’s newest project Symmetry, is the lost Drive soundtrack. Well, you would assume wrong asshole. Kidding. But no, Themes is NOT the soundtrack Jewel claims on his SoundCloud page. Apparently Jewel has been working on the album for nearly three years and says the album is ”two hours of claustrophobic cinematic bliss compiled for Painters, Writers, Photographers, Designers, Cruisers, Night Walkers, & Dreamers” and “Stripped it to its most primitive & visceral core, this is music written for picture. Your life is the film & this is the soundtrack.”

Themes does feel like the soundtrack to your life. It is an epic and moody LP full of powerful cinematic moments all with a nostalgic 80s twinge. However, it is most successful when you’re actively listening to it and I don’t mean giving it your undivided attention. Having it play while doing something — almost anything — will be more affective than just sitting at your computer and listening to it while you’re interneting. 

Fortunately for me, I’m on trains/subways and driving for about four hours a day, so Themes really clicked for me. Hearing the opening track, the aptly titled “Introduction” while I’m warming up my car at 6:30 in the morning is pretty rad. Then driving through the empty city while the track shifts into “City of Dreams” makes someone as uncool as me feel like Ryan Gosling racing through the streets of L.A. 

There are dark moments, light moments, creepy moments — just about every feeling and emotion you can imagine. “Behind the Wheel” for instance is a crystalized and mysterious song that dangerously builds up and makes you feel like you’re part of a renegade group ie: Final Fantasy VII or AKIRA. I mean, Themes can make the most mundane parts of your day feel like an epic, blockbuster scene from a huge hollywood movie. Then there is the closer “Streets of Fire” which features Chromatics singer Ruth Radelet. “I take the night train to the sky,” she sings and pretty much sums up the entire feeling to Themes.

The downside to Themes is the length. Two hours is a bit much but fans of Jewel and all his side projects and Italians Do It Better won’t mind at all. There is some filler but taken as a whole concept, the good definitely outweighs the fluff.

Themes for an Imaginary Film is a beautiful piece of work. At times, it can be mind blowing — when that certain song hits that right moment. Perhaps you’re out for a late night walk in the city and “Bloodsport” comes on. Then you think someone is following you and you’re listening to “Threshold.” When those moments happen there is a sort of joy that comes over you and you just want to give Johnny Jewel a big thank you and hug for making something this appealing and special.

Listen to the Symmetry’s entire Themes for an Imaginary Film on Johnny Jewel’s SoundCloud below:

SYMMETRY / THEMES FOR AN IMAGINARY FILM by JOHNNY JEWEL

                                                     The Weeknd

                                                  Echoes of Silence 

                                                        7.5/10

Echoes of Silence is the third and final mixtape in the Weeknd’s (aka Abel Tesfaye) mixtape trilogy. His brilliant debut mixtape, House of Balloons ended up on my top 10 albums of 2011 while Thursday didn’t make my top 50 albums of the year it was still full of great tunes like “Life of the Party,” and the guitar-driven “The Birds Part 1.” Although Echoes of Silence is closer to Balloons than Thursday as far as sound goes, there are a few elements holding me back from completely enjoying it on the same level as I did with Balloons.

Silence is sonically closer to HoB than Thursdays but perhaps Tesfaye’s novelty has warn off a bit. Releasing three full-lengths in a year is ambitious and too much of a good thing is never good. Therefore, I found myself not enjoying his third release as much as the first two. Things felt more gimmicky here as well. For example, I was into the opener “D.D” — a cover of Michael Jackson’s jam “Dirty Diana” — but I don’t know, it was a great cover but there is this underlying “trying too hard” “cool factor” behind the track that grated me. Same goes for the following song, “Montreal” where (although really, really sexy) Tesfaye starts rapping in French, another “trying too hard” moment. 

“XO / The Host” however, is a standout with its smooth beats, violin samples, and Tesfaye rapping about sneaking out of your parents to go to some exclusive party to get fucked up. The next track, “Initiation,” which was released a month or so ago, is the best thing here. Tesfaye’s voice is warped to sound devilish  the beats are hard and everything culminates into this creepy, haunting, stellar track. “Same Old Song” is a depressing cut but Tesfaye shows off the power of his sultry voice as he belts out “You’re the same old song,” in the track’s climaxing moments.

But Silence also shows off the rapper’s weak spots as, probably more so than the other mixes, or at least on Thursday. The song writing here is pretty terrible. I mean even the album’s title is some junior high school level shit. On “Same Old Song” I could easily predict upcoming lyrics like, “I’ve been alone almost my whole life.” And even though I loved “XO / The Host” I honestly thought for a moment the Weeknd was only 15 years-old. But he is only 21 so I guess I shouldn’t be too harsh.

Then we have the final three tracks, “The Fall,” “Next” and “Echoes of Silence,” which are all too similar to each other and unfortunately forgettable and uninspired. They are filler where Tesfaye totally misses his own aesthetic and he sounds like a mimic of himself. In addition, the production to the mixtape’s flow doesn’t work for me. There are no breaks between any of the tracks making everything sound like one giant song. And sure, that approach has definitely worked in the past on other records but not here as it gets really annoying really fast.

Echoes of Silence may not be the Weeknd’s strongest collection of songs but there are enjoyable moments. Perhaps Tesfaye is running out of steam with his ambitious project. Maybe after some regrouping, touring and thinking of a new direction and letting himself become inspired he will release something as innovative and spectacular as House of Balloons.

Listen to Echoes of Silence  on SoundCloud below:

The Weeknd - Echoes Of Silence by The_Weeknd

Hey everyone!

I haven’t been neglecting my blog — there just hasn’t been much to post/review lately. Around this time every year there is a giant lull in music and shit winds down for a few weeks. Anyway, I come baring gifts and made a new mix i hope you all enjoy and listen to in the new year! Hope everyone’s holiday was fun and safe as well! xxx

http://soundcloud.com/jsa-jamz/tokyo-elvis